Hey There,
Just figured I would put my two cents in about Bo Fung Do. I'm a new student at the school (been training about 4 months or so), and couldn't be happier. The students are so involved in the school that most of my classes have had a 1:1 student/teacher ratio, a rare thing indeed. Even more amazing is that all those instructors (with the exception of Phil, the owner) are not paid to be there, they believe so much in the art and school they donate their time to teach us newbies. This isn't a school for people looking for the quick ranks and belts, it takes on average 8-10 years to get your black belt (an an insane customized 3 part masters test). It is a great place to learn realistic self-defense, with a great group of people.
Another thing I think is important is the involvement the school has in the community. The offer FREE rape prevention courses almost every month, they fill up months in advance... and it is simply a service to the community. No sales pitches, no donation requested... just something they do because they believe in it.

I encourage anyone in the area to keep an open mind and come on in to the school and check it out. You will find a dedicated group of good people doing what they love, and once you start you will get hooked :)

Glad you stopped by jopln1967. It's always nice to speak with someone who is practicing the art to get an insider's perspective. I, as well as others I'm sure, will have some questions for you. I hope you can provide us with additional information.

Originally Posted by jopln1967

Hey There,
Just figured I would put my two cents in about Bo Fung Do. I'm a new student at the school (been training about 4 months or so), and couldn't be happier. The students are so involved in the school that most of my classes have had a 1:1 student/teacher ratio, a rare thing indeed.

Yes that is rare, which begs the questions why? What things are the other students involved in with the school that supercede them actually training?

Originally Posted by jopln1967

Even more amazing is that all those instructors (with the exception of Phil, the owner) are not paid to be there, they believe so much in the art and school they donate their time to teach us newbies.

This isn't unusual, a lot of schools have students that do this. In some cases it's a requirement, in other it's just students being trying to be helpful. What's important is how much teaching does the owner actually do? If your paying for instruction at this place you should be receiving instruction from the top guy.

Originally Posted by jopln1967

This isn't a school for people looking for the quick ranks and belts, it takes on average 8-10 years to get your black belt (an an insane customized 3 part masters test).

Great to hear. It's always refreshing to know that a school out there isn't just giving ranks away all willy nilly. But since all of us hear are sceptics, I have wonder if it really takes 8-10 years due to difficulty and required proficiency or is it so the owner can bleed more money out of people.

Originally Posted by jopln1967

It is a great place to learn realistic self-defense, with a great group of people.

How do you know that what you are learning is realistic self-defense? Do you spar? Does anyone in your school compete in full contact tournaments like San Da, or the Kuoshu LeiTai events? Is there video available of your system being applied against a resisting opponent?

Originally Posted by jopln1967

Another thing I think is important is the involvement the school has in the community. The offer FREE rape prevention courses almost every month, they fill up months in advance... and it is simply a service to the community. No sales pitches, no donation requested... just something they do because they believe in it.

Yes this is a good thing that your school is doing for the community. Even though the classes are free and involve no sales pitch or donation requests don't be naive, it is still a marketing ploy. Many other schools do the same thing as an attempt to boost enrollment.

Originally Posted by jopln1967

I encourage anyone in the area to keep an open mind and come on in to the school and check it out. You will find a dedicated group of good people doing what they love, and once you start you will get hooked :)

Again thanks for the info. What is the head instructor's rank? Whom did he learn the system from or is it his own creation? Does he hold rank in any other arts?

Years back, I heppened into this school to buy some equipment. I asked them about the system, and their replies made my spidey sense tingle.
Q:What style do you teach?
A: "Bo Fung Do" -pronounced Bo Fung Doo
-ok, do is pronounced "doe" or "Dao" but not "do" in any Chinese dialect. If you are going to make up a Chinese name for your style, at least learn to pronounce it correctly.

Q: what kind of style is it?
A:"It's wing chun, modified for combat"
-hmmm, "modified for combat"??wtf? Wing Chun was devised for combat.
A: "It's modified for multiple opponents"
-wing chun was designed for this. So I asked...
Q: "What do you mean, "Modified for multiple opponents/ How is it different?"
A: "Well, years ago, they would bow before they fought, or one person would come in, then the others would wait, and then another would come in.."

ahhhh...I see. So in essence, they "Modified" their art based on what they saw in Kung-Fu MOVIES! Nobody ever bowed before attacking, and in mass attacks, nobody waited their turn! That was all I needed to see and hear.

But wait-it gets better. We did a demo with that school years ago for Muscular Dystrophy.
They did some really funny stuff. First of all, their chi-sao was ridiculous. Their arms were completely out of position, making these huge rolling motions. Then they blindfolded a student, and had them work through an obstacle course with heavy bags on the floor, while they did lame attacks on them.
But wait-there's more! Then they put a piece of glass in one of the student's shoe, so that they could not put weight on that foot-designed to teach them to fight if one of their legs was injured.
One of our Chinese students was in the bleachers. There was a Chinese family of one of their "advanced" students. He overheard the father berating his son,'You ask me to give you money so that you can learn THIS? Don't ever ask me for another penny! I won't give you money so you can learn this garbage! Now, that school (ours) if you go there, I will pay for it, but not this one." The kid (in his 20's) was almost in tears. He is a Master of the style now.
Go figure.

the modern warrior school is 5 minutes from my house but i have never been to it yet... but i have heard it is a pretty good school and they do spar, but they spar with these huge space man gladiator equipment. its like a full body suit of padding...

there are tons of vids on youtube. just do a search for bo fung do and modern warrior and you should get a good amount of vids.

the modern warrior school is 5 minutes from my house but i have never been to it yet... but i have heard it is a pretty good school and they do spar, but they spar with these huge space man gladiator equipment. its like a full body suit of padding...

there are tons of vids on youtube. just do a search for bo fung do and modern warrior and you should get a good amount of vids.

This was a good suggestion, there are in fact quite a few vids. So many in fact, with so much odd stuff going on, that I could not possibly find the time to watch and analyze everything that I saw. I would recommend if you have the time watch them.

Self Defense for the Real World

I invite you all to come to Modern Warrior to watch a class and meet Phil Messina, the grandmaster and founder of Bo Fung Do. We get stories from those in law enforcement about how our techniques LITERALLY saved their life during a confrontation.

We get stories from women who have taken our FREE Rape Prevention class and 8 Week Female Self Defense Course who have successfully fought off bigger, stronger, faster attackers. There are women out there who have not been raped due to what they have learned here.

We teach without ego and give back to the community. We teach important lessons here that go beyond what you learn in the gym.

With foam furniture and an outdoor Environmental Simulator Room, complete with rain, fog, snow, wind, bad lighting conditions and a full sized school bus with airline seats welded in, we teach you to fight in bad weather and small spaces.

The only mirrors here are in the bathroom.

Come in for a tour and we'll show you what makes us unique and how we have been SAVING LIVES for over 28 years.

We don't go around trashing other arts; we just teach people how to WIN violent confrontations and get home to their families.